


No turning back

by jotunemo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Relationship, Comfort (kind of), Dissociation, Family Drama, Frostiron (implied), Gen, Human AU, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki finds out he is adopted, Mental Health Issues, POV Thor (Marvel), Protective Thor (Marvel), Road Trips, Sassy Loki (Marvel), Thor is a puppy, Thor is trying to be a good bro, Tony has a crush on Loki, just angst in general, teenage angst, teenage loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jotunemo/pseuds/jotunemo
Summary: After Thor finds out that Loki is adopted and suffers from some kind of dissociative identity disorder, things escalate very quickly in the house of Odin. Following a devastating incident, Thor agrees to drive Loki 250 miles through the desert to a treatment center along with his friends Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. [Avengers AU, referring to adapted events of the first Thor movie]
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 102





	No turning back

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Os based on a weirdly funny Hangover-3-inspired dream I had before going on a roadtrip to the Netherlands myself last year. It is part of an entire real-life AU that has been wandering around in my head for the longest time where Loki is a seventeen-year-old teenager and Thor is in his early twenties figuring stuff out as well. I hope you'll enjoy.

#### “ **Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.** ” – _Erol Ozan_

* * *

_Alright_ , thought Thor to himself as he heard the doorbell ring below. _Today’s the day. Let’s do this._ He exhaled loudly as he heard his mother Frigga welcome his friends into the house, saying, “They’re both still upstairs” in a voice that went miles to redefine apprehension. Thor let out another breath and jogged down the stairs, mentally preparing himself for the journey that lay ahead. Frigga greeted him with a sorrowful smile. _God, how old and depressed she looked._ It broke Thor’s heart all over again to see her so tense and so full of self-recrimination.

His friends were halfway through the door and the expression on their faces couldn’t have been more different. Steve Rogers’ face was wrapped in a ‘What the hell did I get myself into?’ kind of frown as he gave a terse nod and Thor could almost sense how reluctant he was. Tony Stark, on the other hand, had a lazy lopsided grin on his lips. “What’s up, Thunderbolt? You ready?”

Thor winced at the mention of his high school football team nickname that brought back memories of a time that had been so much more carefree. “Yeah,” he mumbled although he wasn’t. Not really.

“I’m gonna get him,” Frigga whispered and tiptoed upstairs.

“Is he … okay?” asked Steve with a wary glance after her. “I mean, are we … are you sure you’re gonna be, you know, safe?”

“Dude, relax,” mocked Tony. “There’s three of us against a scrawny sixteen-year-old. Of course we’re gonna be _safe_.”

“Seventeen,” Thor corrected. “Almost eighteen. But yes, we’re gonna be safe,” he added even though he wasn’t sure. How could he be? His little brother hadn’t been himself in a very long time; and no one had bothered to tell him just how bad things had gotten after his father Odin had finally kicked him out of his parents’ home the year before. It wasn’t until Thor had called Frigga one morning and caught her by surprise that he found out the truth.

“What’s wrong?” Thor had asked his mother when he realized that she was trying to conceal that she had been crying and the hairs on his arms and neck began to prickle with unease. Frigga was reluctant at first, trying to reassure him that he was not to worry and that things would work out and that it was her responsibility and not his to—

“To do what?” Thor interrupted her.

“To look after your brother,” Frigga whispered softly. “He’s …Loki is not well.” As soon as the confession was out, she broke out into tears and told him the entire story between sobs so violent that they were ripping through her entire body. Loki’s mental state had deteriorated almost immediately after Thor’s departure and he was far beyond dramatizing—as their father would call it. He was _getting lost within his own mind_ , Frigga said and while Thor was still trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean, she dropped the proverbial bombshell and confided in him that Loki wasn’t his biological brother and that he’d somehow figured it out and confronted their parents about it. While this revelation shouldn’t have come as a complete surprise—they couldn’t possibly look or be any more different—it still shocked Thor into a state of speechlessness and his mother apparently did not have it in her to elaborate. _He’s not well, Thor,_ was all she repeated in conclusion.

 _Not well._ _NOT WELL!_ What a fucking understatement. Not well turned out to actually mean very sick. Not well meant that Loki had visited a therapist about two months ago who had suggested to Frigga afterwards that her son might be suffering from some type of dissociative identity disorder or depersonalization and derealization disorder; a diagnosis that, apparently, no one had bothered to act upon besides the fact that Loki was now on medication that was supposed to ease his anxiety. Not well meant that Loki completely freaked out when Thor came home to check up on his family and stabbed his own brother in the leg with a steak knife, missing the femoral artery by a hairsbreadth. Not well meant that Loki didn’t remember it afterwards because he was suffering from this weird mental illness that Thor still couldn’t even begin to understand even after he’d read through a kazillion websites. Not well meant that Frigga had tried to move heaven and earth after Loki’s meltdown to get him into a treatment facility.

Not well also meant that Loki favored a clothing style that was probably supposed to provoke Odin but had the unfortunate side effect of sending their entire neighborhood into a frenzy along with their father. He descended the stairs in an outfit that consisted of fingerless black leather gloves, black nail polish, a collection of jingling bracelets and a pair of ripped jeans in gray combined with a long-sleeved black Ramones shirt that hung loosely around his frame. Added to this, he’d applied black eyeliner and his now shoulder-length hair was slicked back with so much gel that it stuck out from his head in curvy spikes and made him look as if he’d taken his morning bath in an oil drum.

“Wow,” gasped Steve in lieu of a greeting. “How long has it been since I last saw you?”

“Long enough for me to completely block out the existence of your bland personality,” Loki responded dryly.

Tony grunted and said, “Good one, Simple Plan,” while Frigga urged her son to be nice. She put his suitcase down at the bottom of the stairs. “They’re taking you to Nevada. Show a little gratitude.”

“They’re not doing to this for _me_ , are they?” Loki glowered at Thor. “Plus, since I don’t want to go, they’re not really doing me a _favor_.” He narrowed his eyes at Tony and Steve, then turned back to Frigga with an icy stare.

It went without saying that the task of driving Loki to a treatment facility two-hundred-fifty miles away shouldn’t have fallen to the one person he seemed to hate the most at the moment but their father—well, _his_ father, Thor conceded silently—was scheduled to be away on one of his countless business trips and didn’t trust Frigga to be able to commit her son to the care of a psychiatric hospital once she had to drop him off.

“You’re not gonna drive him, Frigga,” Odin had ordered in complete ignorance of what Thor guessed would have helped Loki the most. “I know you well enough to be certain you’re gonna bring him back home with you because you don’t have it in you to let him go even if Thor was to accompany you.”

“Then I’m gonna drive him by myself,” Thor volunteered.

“That is out of the question,” Frigga cried out. “This is too dangerous. No offense but—”

Loki was sitting cross-legged on the couch, a blanket wrapped around his skinny shoulders. “Thank you very much, _Mom_.” It sounded more hostile than the most offensive insult could have ever sounded.

“I’m gonna take my friends with me,” Thor offered. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“No!” Loki protested. “No, no, _no_!”

But since Odin decided it was a good idea, neither of them had much of a choice to argue against it.

Frigga sighed apologetically and Thor could see tears shimmering in her eyes as she tried to pull Loki into a farewell hug.

“Farewell, caregiver,” Loki grumbled as he jerked away from her, picked up his suitcase and went out the door. Steve and Tony followed him outside.

“I’m so sorry I let it come to this,” Frigga whispered with tears in her eyes. “I thought … Well, I didn’t want him to … I felt so guilty about having lied to him, I just … I didn’t want to send him to therapy against his will.”

“It’s gonna be okay,” Thor assured his mother. He knew she’d meant well and even though he was still furios with her, he planted a soft kiss on her worry-lined forehead. “They’re gonna be able to help him. He’s gonna come around.”

“I hope you’re right,” Frigga whispered tonelessly.

Thor nodded to reassure her and himself even though he was less than sure that things were ever going to be okay again.

* * *

“Shotgun!” Tony shouted as soon as Thor joined them outside. Loki was about to protest but Tony flashed him a challenging smirk. “I said it first.”

Steve opened his mouth and murmured something that sounded like a _but_.

“What? You’re not gonna sit in the backseat with me?” Loki snapped as he tossed his suitcase into the trunk with a hollow thud.

“I-I didn’t say that,” Steve defended himself.

“But you thought it,” Loki replied, his lips curling into a deviant grin. “I can see in your eyes how much you don’t want to sit in the backseat with me.”

“If you want to sit in the front so badly, why don’t you drive?” Thor suggested with a look at Tony.

Tony shook his head. “There’s no way I’m gonna drive.”

“Since when?” asked Steve. It was a legitimate question. Tony Stark had been driving them around as soon as he had been old enough to drive. Well, technically, he’d driven them around even before then.

“Since I brought these.” Tony zipped open his backpack and showed them his stock of ready-to-drink cans of whiskey mixed with coke.

“Maybe this is gonna be fun after all,” Loki conceded.

“You seriously brought alcohol?” Steve asked incredulously. “ _Alcohol_? Have you lost your mind?”

“This is a road trip,” Tony exclaimed by way of answer.

Steve exhaled. “We’re driving him to a psychiatric hospital! If anything, this is an ambulance service.”

“Hey,” Loki reprimanded him. “I’m not an invalid, okay?” He grinned broadly. “Hey, why don’t I drive?”

“You’re not allowed to drive on your medication,” Thor reminded him. He held up the keys for emphasis. “So, I guess, it’s, um—”

“I’ll drive,” Steve decided and snatched them from his hand. “That way I’m at least in control,” he mumbled to himself.

“Knock yourself out,” Tony told him with a cheerful grin. While Steve was looking beyond exasperated by Tony’s antics, Thor wasn’t even surprised. He’d been friends with them long enough to know that Steve would not relax a single muscle until they’d accomplished their mission while Tony would try to turn it into a party.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna sit behind you, Rogers,” Loki jibed as he slid onto the seat behind Tony.

Steve exhaled but said nothing. When they’d all settled into the car, he started the engine, backed out of the driveway and merged into the street of their suburban San Bernardino neighborhood.

“Just for the record, I can drive on my medication,” Loki clarified. “I did it all the time before you showed up.”

“Oh yeah?” asked Thor. “Where to?”

“To the graveyard,” Loki responded casually.

“To the _graveyard_?” echoed Steve.

“Yeah, I used to go there to snort a line of coke and stare at the graves. It gave me inspiration for my art.”

Tony snorted a laugh.

“You’re kidding, right?” asked Steve. He looked at Thor through the rearview mirror. “He’s kidding, right?”

“Who kno-hows?” Loki asked back in a singsong.

“He’s kidding,” Thor assured his friend with a frown at his little brother. _He is kidding_ , he told himself. _This is all part of his act._

Loki clicked his tongue as Tony clicked open his first can of whiskey. “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.”

“You’re really being serious,” sighed Steve in frustration. “It’s ten in the goddamned morning.”

Tony raised the can and chinked it against the steering wheel. “It’s a road trip! Just relax!”

“Give me one,” Loki demanded.

“Oh no,” Thor chimed in. “Not a chance. You’re not allowed to drink on your medication.”

Loki narrowed his gleaming green eyes at him. “Do you have the entire PIL of my meds memorized or what?”

Thor smiled wanly. “It turns out I have. Just in case.”

Loki snorted. “Just in case, my ass. Don’t pretend you suddenly care! The only reason you’re doing this is to prove to our _parents_ how _responsible_ you are,” he spat. “Oh, look at Thor, look how much he worries about Loki. Look at what a good brother he is!” He snorts another laugh and this one had a hysterical edge to it. “We both know that as soon as you’ve dropped me off at this place, you’re gonna go about your business like you always do! You’re not even gonna visit me once. I already know it. You know how I know? Because you didn’t give a damn about me for months. You only came home when Mom called you for help because she _couldn’t handle me_ ,” Loki went on in an irritatingly high-pitched mocking voice. “Seriously. Just stop. You’re not even my real brother. There’s absolutely no need for you to play white knight.”

Thor could feel Steve nervously shift his weight in the driver’s seat. “Loki, this isn’t true, I—”

“Just don’t,” Loki cut him off in an icy voice. “Don’t pretend that this is more than a courtesy drop-off.”

Steve glanced at Tony anxiously. Tony obliged and turned around. “You okay back there?”

“If you’re asking if we’re truly _okay_ , no, we’re not!” Loki hissed. “If you’re asking if I’m gonna flip, nope, I won’t.” He laughed again. “Now, can I have a drink, please?”

“You really shouldn’t,” Thor began.

Loki switched gears so fast that Thor had a hard time adjusting to his brother’s suddenly very vulnerable expression. “Come on, you’re basically confining me to prison,” Loki pleaded softly. “They’re gonna keep me in lockup for weeks. Let me at least have a _little_ fun before that nightmare begins.” He pouted and made puppy eyes at Thor that almost worked even despite his thickly applied eyeliner. “Don’t you want me to look back on this trip with at least a few positive memories before I’m gonna be all alone two-hundred-fifty miles from home?” He pouted again. “I know this is wrong but it’s gonna make this whole ordeal a lot more bearable. Please, you never did anything for me. At least do this.”

“Alright, alright,” Thor yielded. Loki batted his eyelashes at him. “But don’t tell Mom.”

“I won’t,” Loki replied with a gleeful grin of triumph.

“You’re so fucking irresponsible,” said Steve. “All of you.”

“Language, Stevie-boy,” mocked Tony, alluding to an insider between the three of them that originated from Steve’s aversion to swear words.

“ _You’re so fucking irresponsible_ ,” Loki echoed as he opened the can Tony was handing him. “Seriously, brother.” He took a long pull. “How are you even friends with that bore? He has a stick shoved so far up his ass I’m surprised he doesn’t shit bark.”

Steve harrumphed but didn’t take the bait. “You really let him drink even though it could mean that it fucks up his medication and makes the personality who wanted to _kill_ you reappear?” Steve shouted at Thor. “What kind of brother are you, for God’s sakes?”

“That is a very good question.” Loki grinned broadly.

Thor said nothing.

“But don’t you worry, Rogers,” Loki assured. “They won’t reappear. That’s what the meds are for.”

“But you’re drinking,” Steve repeated. “You’re drinking on antipsychotic medication. I can’t believe I’m driving this car.” He glared at Thor through the rearview mirror. “I can’t believe you’re letting him. This is insane.”

“Stop wetting your pants,” mocked Loki. “It’s not as if this is the first time I’m drinking on these meds. Nothing ever happened.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Steve grumbled.

“What is it that you are _so_ worried about, exactly?” Loki asked. “What do you think I’m gonna do? I can hardly hope to physically overpower my hulk of a brother, can I? And it’s not as if I have a weapon hidden in the crack of my ass.”

Tony giggled. “Really? Not even a nail file?”

“Ha ha,” Loki snarled. “You do know that this comment says more about you than it does about me, right?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tony inquired. He pretended to look slightly irritated but Thor could see that he was intrigued.

"It means that there's a one-thousand percent chance you like the way I dress but you can’t admit as much, not even to yourself, because you’re enslaved by the bullshit standards of gender normativity, which is why you feel the need to joke about _me_ wearing nail polish to mask _your_ insecurity.”

That comment, which Thor actually had to repeat in his mind to make sense of it, finally raised a faint smile from Steve.

Tony frowned at Loki but the fascination in his eyes was unmistakable. “When did you become so smart?”

“I grew up, Stark,” was all Loki offered him in response.

“Fair enough,” Tony mumbled before he turned up the radio. “What about some music, huh?”

* * *

For the next forty-five minutes or so, Thor and Steve had to suffer through Tony butchering various pop songs—notably among them DJ Antoine’s _Ma Cherie_ and Lady Gaga’s _Alejandro—_ in a high-pitched voice while Loki chugged his whiskey in thoughtful silence and the desert landscape outside flew by in a blur. Every now and then, Steve flashed a reproachful glance at Thor through the rearview mirror. _At least it keeps him distracted_ , Thor mouthed with a sheepish smile on his lips.

After a while, Steve sighed in exasperation. “Can’t you at least play some real music?” He changed broadcasting stations and Pat Benatar’s _We Belong_ blasted through the car.

“And this is better?” Tony scoffed.

“Now, there’s no looking forward,” Loki sang along in a voice so powerful that it sent a shiver down Thor’s spine. “Now there’s no turning back! When you say we belong to the light, we belong to the thunder. We belong to the sound of the words we’ve both fallen under!”

“How about _no_?” Tony asked and pressed the Bluetooth button, stifling Loki’s rendition of the 80ies hit record. “I have something better.” He swiped his phone and after a few seconds, the first beats of _I will walk five-hundred miles_ blared out of the speakers. Steve and Thor agreed that this was indeed better until it became clear after another ten minutes or so that Tony had downloaded an infinity loop of the song onto his phone.

They were just passing Barstow on the Interstate 15 when Thor caught Loki staring out of the window with a look on his face that finally gave significance to the words _getting lost within his own mind_.

“Hey, are you okay?” Thor asked uneasily.

Loki gave no answer.

“Hey, brother!”

“Yeah?” Loki asked apathetically without tearing his gaze off the window.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Loki whispered but a shudder went through him and he gulped. Thor’s entire body tensed up with trepidation. Should his decision to let his brother have one final drink—okay, three final drinks—seriously backfire so mercilessly?

“Thor?” Loki whispered in a trembling voice. He turned away from the window and blinked a few times. He tried to smile but it died on his quivering lips. Tears pooled into his eyes. “Where are we? Why are we in this car?” And then he panicked, his voice growing loud and shrill. “Thor? What are these people doing here? Who are they?”

Thor saw Steve’s mouth gaping open in horror. Tony swirled around with a look of glaringly inappropriate excitement stamped across his face.

“Loki,” Thor gulped and carefully reached out to touch his brother’s shoulders. “It’s okay. These are my friends, Tony and Steve. Don’t you … remember?”

Loki shook his head. Steve slowed the car. Tony bit his lip in anticpiation.

“Brother, please. Everything’s fine. We’re here to take you--”

Loki burst out laughing. “Ha, you fell for it, didn’t you?”

Thor was too stunned to speak.

“He totally did,” Tony cheered.

“You should see your face,” Loki guffawed. “This is hilarious.”

“You totally got him,” Tony said again, snorting. “Thor, shut your mouth.”

“Is everything a joke to you, Stark?” Steve hollered.

“Funny things are,” Tony replied on a shrug.

“What is _funny_ about Loki being sick?” Steve went on. “Tell me one thing that is funny about dissociative disorders.”

“Thor’s face right now,” Tony giggled.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Thor barked when he finally regained his senses and before he could calm himself down, he punched his brother’s left arm with such force that his own knuckles hurt. Loki gave a howl of pain.

“What now?” gasped Steve.

“He hit me!” Loki wailed. “Ooooww, this really hurt.”

Steve slammed on the brakes so hard that Loki’s face banged into the headrest. “What the fuck is wrong with you all?” The car screeched to a halt.

“Language,” Tony mocked him again. “Jesus, Steve. I spilled my drink.”

“Shut up,” Steve grumbled.

“That also hurt,” Loki mumbled and then snorted blood out of his nose, which he scooped onto his finger and then licked off.

“Ew,” Tony said. “Okay, this is disgusting. I’m gonna take a leak.”

That said, he left the car to relieve himself by the roadside. Without hesitation, Steve stepped on the gas and slowly drove on, leaving Tony peeing against the guardrail.

“Um, Rogers, what _exactly_ do you think you’re doing?” Thor asked.

“Maybe taking a run after the car will clear his head,” Steve muttered to himself.

“You know, if the way you’re treating each other is what friendship actually means,” Loki said as he absentmindedly began to smear the blood across the headrest in front of him, “I’m really glad I don’t have any friends.”

“Stop this.” Thor slapped his brother’s hand away. “Don’t ruin Dad’s car. He’s gonna kill me.”

“Really?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “You’re worried about his stupid car? I fucking _hate_ you.”

“Well, I still love you,” Thor replied, hoping that the verbal display of affection would disarm his little brother at last and, at the same time, perhaps selfishly glad that Tony did not catch it to make fun of him for it later.

“I hate your love,” Loki snappped.

“Just another 130 miles,” said Steve softly. “We can do this. We can do this.”

Behind them, Tony’s lips moved as he screamed something at them from outside and broke into a run. Steve accelerated the car and drove another hundred yards before he finally stopped the vehicle.

“What was that for?” Tony gasped as he flung himself back into the passenger seat.

“That was for bringing the booze.”

“Speaking of,” Tony replied, “why don’t we go to Vegas after we dropped Loki off?”

“Why don’t we go to Vegas before we drop Loki off?” asked Loki. “That would be a really cool farewell gift.”

“Not a chance,” Thor and Steve said in unison.

“It’s bad enough that you’re gonna show up drunk,” Thor added. “So much for _not_ letting Mom know.”

“They won’t notice,” Loki replied grimly. “No one ever notices.”

“Hey, let’s play _Never Have I Ever_ ,” Tony suggested, proving that you could always rely on him if it came to outrageous ideas and irresponsible decisions.

Loki, of course, embraced the suggestion eagerly. “Great idea. I’ll start. Never have I ever worried about not being straight.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? That you’re not gay or that you never worried about being gay?”

“That’s not relevant to the question,” Loki replied.

Tony snorted. “Why are you making this so complicated?”

“Seriously, Stark?” asked Steve. “ _He’s_ making it complicated? Just drink already. It’s obvious that you have to.”

“Excuse me but are you playing with us?” Tony scoffed.

Steve flashed him an innocent smile. “I only make sure you’re following the rules.”

“The rules,” Loki echoed scornfully. “Seriously, you are so boring that the white hospital walls I’m gonna have to stare at suddenly seem exciting.”

By now, Steve was agitated enough to finally take the bait. “What is your problem with me, Loki? I might seem boring to you but at least I’ve never tried to _kill_ someone.”

“Well, _I_ have never tried to kill anyone either,” Loki responded coolly.

Tony turned around and looked at him with genuine interest. “Serious question, if you don’t mind. What’s it like?”

Loki frowned. “What is _what_ like?”

“Dissociation,” Tony clarified. “What does it, I don’t know, feel like?”

Loki considered the question for a moment as Steve switched lanes to pass a truck. Thor held his breath, allowing himself to hope that he might receive an answer to the question he himself hadn’t yet dared to ask. Silence poured into the car.

“Do you talk to yourself sometimes?” Loki finally asked. “Do you ask yourself where you put your damn keys or have some kind of inner voice tell you that you should really shut up now?”

Tony nodded, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “All the time.”

“And that voice makes sense to you, right? It might come from somewhere in your subconscious that you don’t have access to but it still sounds like you and you never question that it’s a part of your multilayered self because the voice is recognizably yours?”

Tony’s lips parted. “Well, yeah. Sure.”

“Now imagine a voice that isn’t,” said Loki softly. “Imagine a hateful wacko alien voice coming from somewhere inside your head that shouts things at you that you know for sure aren’t true but you just can’t seem to shut it up because it becomes _so_ loud and _so_ real that, at some point, you have no choice but to listen.”

“What things?” Tony asked.

“All sorts of things.”

Tony bit his lip. “That your brother deserves to die, for example?”

Thor’s heart skipped a beat.

“No,” Loki protested. He looked at Thor and half-smiled, half-frowned. “Yes. I mean, not like … It’s not that simple.” He breathed out. “I just … It’s too soon.” His lips quivered. “I’m sorry. I never meant to—”

“I know,” Thor assured him and squeezed his brother’s bony shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry,” said Tony, looking embarrassed for once. He turned around and stared out of the window.

* * *

Thankfully, the rest of the trip passed without incident or even much conversation since Tony busied himself with checking available hotel rooms on the Strip on his phone and Loki dozed off with his head pressed against the window. It was two in the afternoon when they reached the treatment center, which was located forty miles out of Las Vegas on the outskirts of a tiny desert town called Goodsprings.

“Are you kidding?” Loki gasped incredulously as he got out of the car and took in the building. “ _This_ is where I’m gonna stay? We’re in the middle of nowhere!”

“Wow, that sucks,” Tony concurred. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned theatrically. “My heartfelt sympathy.”

“It’s for your own safety,” said Thor. “Mom will be glad to hear that at least she doesn’t have to worry about you bolting.”

Loki exhaled loudly. “This has to be a joke.”

“I hope the fuck not,” Steve shot back.

“Language!” Thor yelled in unison with Tony and Loki as if they had silently agreed upon it.

Steve gave a sigh. “That’s not going away anytime soon, is it?”

Tony grinned. “Never.”

Thor retrieved Loki’s suitcase from the trunk and looked at his little brother, who glanced at the building and suddenly looked very small and very scared. Thor put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. “It’s time, brother.”

“Good luck,” said Steve.

“Bye, Lokes,” said Tony. “You’re gonna beat this.”

Loki narrowed his eyes. “Don’t ever call me Lokes again. _Ever_.”

Tony held up his hands in mock defense.

Thor gave Loki a push and ushered him towards the building and through the door. Loki was breathing heavily as he examined the atmosphere of the entrance area that seemed welcoming enough with its cleanly polished receptionist’s desk, the gray two-seater couch and the indoor plants. Thor strode up to the desk and gave Loki’s name, whereupon the receptionist pressed a button and told him to take a seat.

“Are you scared?” Thor asked his brother.

“I’m annoyed,” Loki answered.

“With who?”

“With everyone and everything.” Loki flashed him a mock smile but Thor could see the tears shimmering in his eyes. Without thinking, Thor pulled his little brother into a hug and gave him a squeeze that was as gentle as it was firm. “You know this doesn’t change anything between us, right?” Thor asked as Loki tried to squirm free. Thor hugged him even tighter. “You’ll always be my brother and I’ll always love you.”

Loki’s resistance cracked. He leaned his forehead against Thor’s clavicle and sobbed quietly.

“You’re gonna be okay, I promise,” mumbled Thor and this time, he truly believed it. Loki nodded against his chest.

* * *

When Thor finally closed the door behind him after having had to explain in detail to the admitting doctor why he and not Loki’s parents or legal guardians had taken him to their facility, all he could think of was the forlorn expression on Loki’s face when he’d said his final goodbye. Committing Loki to the care of a psychiatric hospital was the hardest thing he’d ever done and he realized with a sudden clarity that Odin had been right. Frigga wouldn’t have had the heart to withstand Loki’s silent pleas to not leave him there. She would have given in to the urge to wrap her arms around Loki and take him home with her because she would have wanted to protect him. By hell, Thor himself had almost given in. _Almost_.

Thor exhaled a breath and joined his friends who were leaning against the car. “What’s up?” he asked with a look at Tony, whose face was suddenly going very pale. “You look like you need to barf.”

“Too much whiskey?” Steve gloated. “You totally deserve this, by the way.”

Tony breathed out. “I think I might have a crush on him.”

Steve’s features slipped. “On _Loki_?”

“What?!” Thor gasped. The past few weeks had seemed so outrageously unreal that he’d doubted there was anything that could still surprise him. But Tony fucking Stark always found a way. “He’s a minor! And he’s my little brother. And he’s mentally unstable. That’s _so_ wrong on so many levels. Eeww.”

“I know, I know,” Tony sighed. “That’s why I didn’t say anything.” He paused. “Not to him, anyway.”

“Well, you know I would have killed you if you had, right?” Thor grumbled. He took a step towards his friend. “You’re gonna leave him alone, you hear me?”

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” Tony grimaced. “Now are we going to Vegas or what?”

“Hell, yes,” Thor yelled on impulse.

“Vegas it is,” Steve agreed.

~ The End ~


End file.
